PIERRE, S.D. — Medical Marijuana becoming legal is not the only new law taking effect Thursday in South Dakota.
Several laws passed during the 2021 Legislative Session are set to take effect.
Governor Kristi Noem suspended a teen driving law that passed in the 2020 legislative session for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new law has several provisions, among them, teens driving with restricted licenses won’t be able to have passengers outside their immediate household or family for the first six months, then only one passenger outside of their household or immediate family until they upgrade to an unrestricted license.
One of Governor Noem’s biggest policy proposals of the 2021 legislative session is a ban on Down Syndrome abortions. House Bill 1110 prohibits performing abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis.
And also on Thursday, sports wagering becomes legal in South Dakota.
The process to bring sports wagering to Deadwood has been ongoing since 2018, and officials in Deadwood are excited.
On July 14, state legislators will meet to decide on the rules of sports betting, and on August 2, the legislative interim rules committee will meet to finalize everything regarding wagering. One proposed rule is the requirement for participants to be in a betting facility to participate, whether that is in person, at a kiosk, or on a mobile device.
Gaming officials estimate an annual increase of nearly seven million dollars in sports betting revenue alone, and an overall gaming revenue boost of $22 million.
